Could you share with us a little about
your background?
Prior to my appointment as Principal of CCKPS, I was
HOD/Humanities, SSD and subsequently VP at Regent Secondary School. Following
my LEP, I was posted as VP to Yishun Secondary for a year and eventually
appointed as Principal of CCKPS in December 2017.
How did you get interested in assessment?
I attended an assessment seminar in 2011 and heard Prof Kelvin Tan
share his thoughts on assessment for learning. It was indeed eye-opening and
from then on, I started to re-discover assessment as a motivating force which
could change the culture of learning.
Is there one memorable event in your assessment journey that you
would like to share?
My first experience as a new Principal observing a Primary 2 class
was most memorable. It was a ‘Show and Tell’ assessment session. As part of
creative assessment, we had provided our eager-eyed little ones with a set of
rubrics to peer assess their friends. There were 3 criteria:
(i) My
friend made eye contact with the audience.
(ii) My
friend spoke loudly and clearly.
(iii) My
friend had an interesting presentation.
The peers were instructed to award either a ‘big thumbs up’, a
‘smiling face’, or a ‘face with no smile’ to each friend. They seemed satisfied
enough with their assessment of their peers…until the paper was returned to the
peer. A few peers were pleased with their friend’s assessment. However, I
overheard a few shy comments like ‘I want you to be happy so I only gave you a
big thumbs up!’ At the corner, one pair got into an argument. Student A was
displeased with Student B who had awarded him a ‘face with no smile’ for the
third criteria. In an attempt to appease her friend, Student B quickly amended
her assessment to a ‘smiling face’.
In my follow-up conversation with these 8-year-olds, they were
candid in sharing their dislike for this exercise. These were some of their
thoughts:
‘My friend got angry with me because I did not give a smiling
face. This was hard because I like my friend very much.’
‘It was very hard to use because I don’t know what is interesting and what is
not interesting.’
‘I think my friend did not make eye contact but he insisted that he did.’
‘I did not want to change the face, but I think my friend hates me now.’
It was a sobering moment for me. I realised that these were
emotional moments for the young learners. Any mode of assessment, even at its
most creative, with the best of intentions, evokes deep emotional reactions
from our children. How much of this does the adult truly understand?
I vowed to myself that I will look into critical issues which
affect the child’s learning, and invest time to go into the children’s world,
to understand learning through their eyes. That day, I learnt that the joy of
learning can only take place if our feedback evokes a positive emotional
response in the child.
What is one piece of advice you would like to give to teachers
starting on their assessment journey?
Assessment must give hope to the child. Assessment feedback is not
a tactical issue for any child - it is emotional, and, as teachers, we can make
the difference. Let us be bold to do only what is purposeful and meaningful,
and what encourages the child’s heart. May your work be fueled by a deep
conviction that every child can learn. We, teachers, hold the key.